"That's right. Not only their leader, but also Little Fool's boyfriend." Wei Zhao winked at Qiu Lingshan, who gazed back at him with eyes full of longing—surprise and a brimming sweetness filling her heart.

"Little Fool?" Xue Jianfeng blinked, then caught sight of the honeyed look Qiu Lingshan was giving Wei Zhao. Fury surged in his chest. "I don't care what kind of damn boyfriend you are—I'm taking Miss Song with me today. Anyone who stands in my way dies!"

As his words fell, Xue Jianfeng blurred forward again, lunging toward Qiu Lingshan—only to crash headlong into Wei Zhao, who had suddenly planted himself in his path. His expression shifted drastically, and he stumbled, barely managing to arrest his momentum.

"This Tai Gu Alliance of yours—isn't it really just a Hooligan Alliance? Why is every one of you cut from the same cloth? See something good and you want to snatch it; see a beauty and you want to mount her. We're all civilized people here, so couldn't you at least keep a shred of decency?" Wei Zhao said, at a loss for words.

"You call me a hooligan?" Xue Jianfeng's face turned ashen.

"That's right. And I've got a bit of a temper—whenever I see a hooligan, my hand starts itching on its own. Nothing I can do about it. You'll just have to bear the hardship." With that, Wei Zhao stepped forward and dealt Xue Jianfeng a clean, flat-handed slap across the face.

Smack! The crack of the slap rang out crisp and clear. Xue Jianfeng froze on the spot, uncomprehending, and touched the five bright red finger marks on his cheek. His expression gradually contorted. "You dare lay a hand on me? Has no one ever taught you that when you hit a man, you hit him to death? What a pathetically weak strike—you can't even slap properly. The secular world really is full of trash!"

"Oh? You think it's too weak? In all my years, this is the first time I've heard such an absurd request. You're from the Tai Gu Alliance, after all, so I figured I'd spare you a bit of face. Since that's how you want it, I won't hold back." Wei Zhao shrugged and casually swung another slap.

Bang! Xue Jianfeng dropped on the spot, his whole body flipping sideways and embedding itself into the floor. For a long while he could not get up.

"Heh. The Tai Gu Alliance doesn't seem like much after all—can't even take a hit. As a hooligan, how can your skin be so thin?" Wei Zhao smiled faintly. He had not been idle during those two days on the train; with the vast spiritual-energy reserves of the Star Ink Charcoal, he had already raised his cultivation to the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage. Dealing with Xue Jianfeng, who was likewise at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, was simplicity itself.

Even if this primordial-spirit body of his could not match his true body's outrageous ability to fight far above his level, before opponents of the same tier he remained an invincible presence capable of instant annihilation.

What rather disappointed Wei Zhao, however, was that for some unknown reason his strength showed signs of stalling the moment it reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Advancing further to restore the Golden Core stage seemed all but beyond reach, and he could not tell whether something was missing or what. Fortunately, for the time being, Foundation Establishment Great Perfection was already sufficient.

Qiu Lingshan and the others cheered at the sight. Though they had absolute confidence in Wei Zhao's strength, Xue Jianfeng was no ordinary man—none of them had expected this Heaven Dao stage expert to be so utterly helpless before Wei Zhao.

It took Xue Jianfeng a long while to struggle to his feet. Seeing Wei Zhao standing right there, he hastily retreated several steps and said warily, "Just who are you?"

"He's that primordial-spirit cultivator! Sun Baimei and the others died at his hands!" At that moment Fei Yangsheng, who had been keeping watch outside, rushed in at the commotion and was stunned by the scene.

"Primordial-spirit cultivator?!" This time it was not only Xue Jianfeng who froze—Qiu Lingshan and the others did as well. How on earth had Wei Zhao turned into a primordial-spirit cultivator?

"Fei Yangsheng, you really aren't afraid of death, are you? Last time I let you off out of the goodness of my heart, and now you dare come back?" Wei Zhao said with a sidelong glance.

Fei Yangsheng nearly wet himself. If Xue Jianfeng had not been present, he would probably have dropped to his knees in terror on the spot. He babbled hastily, "Senior, please don't misunderstand—it wasn't my idea to come. It was Senior Brother Xue—"

"What did you say!" Xue Jianfeng flew into a rage at this, itching to cripple the spineless Fei Yangsheng on the spot. He jabbed a finger at Wei Zhao and snorted coldly, "Just now I was merely careless and underestimated my enemy. You don't actually think a mere secular-world primordial spirit could truly be a match for me, Xue Jianfeng, do you?"

"Is that so? I also happen to think you're laughably weak—a disgrace to the Tai Gu Alliance. So are you ready now, or are you still underestimating your enemy?" Wei Zhao eyed him askance with an ambiguous smile.

"Hmph. Once I get serious, you're nothing but an ant. I am the foremost of the Tai Gu Alliance's younger generation—what right do you have to be so arrogant before me?" Xue Jianfeng sneered.

"Fine. I'll take that as you being ready." Wei Zhao smiled strangely, and in the next instant suddenly appeared before Xue Jianfeng, raising his hand for yet another slap.

Xue Jianfeng was aghast. With his strength, he had not even been able to see clearly how Wei Zhao had charged over. By the time he reacted, Wei Zhao's palm had already landed on his face—there was no chance to dodge at all. Bang! He dropped flat on the spot once more.

"The first time you thought the force was too weak. The second time you said you weren't ready. What excuse do you want to use for the third?" Wei Zhao regarded him leisurely.

Qiu Lingshan and the others burst out laughing at the sight, doubling over and rocking back and forth. Just moments ago, Xue Jianfeng had oppressed so many of them that they could scarcely breathe—and now, the instant Wei Zhao returned, the situation had turned like this. It was deeply satisfying!

It took Xue Jianfeng another long while to clamber painfully up from the floor. Three slaps in a row had all landed on the right side; by now his right cheek was swollen up hugely, and with that pig's-head look, probably even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

"You... just who are you..." If Xue Jianfeng still could not grasp by now that he had run into a ruthless man, he would truly be a fool. The first two times he could disguise it as carelessness and underestimation, but the third time was beyond excuse.

He had clearly been dodging with all his might, yet a profound and inexplicable true qi had suddenly slammed him to the ground, forcibly suppressing even the true qi within his body into chaos. The crucial point was—he had vaguely heard a low, deep dragon's roar!

The result left him utterly terrified. His opponent's aura marked him as Foundation Establishment Great Perfection as well, and he himself was plainly the Tai Gu Alliance's strongest Foundation Establishment Great Perfection expert—yet before this man he had not the slightest power to fight back. Where on earth had this ruthless character sprung from? It couldn't possibly really be the secular world, could it?

"It'd be one thing if your strength were lacking, but how are your brains lacking too? I already told you I'm their leader, and the very primordial-spirit cultivator you people have been looking for. I'm honestly baffled—with that intelligence of yours, how do you even have the nerve to show your face? You've completely ruined the Tai Gu Alliance's lofty image." Wei Zhao mocked.